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HR Break Room

HR Break Room is a podcast from your friends working in human resources, dedicated to bringing you interesting break room conversations with experts on the latest buzz surrounding HR and HR tech. HR Break Room brings together industry experts to discuss brewing trends and robust solutions to today’s workplace challenges.
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Now displaying: 2020
Dec 17, 2020

Guests:

Louis R. Lessig, Brown & Connery, LLP partner

AJ Griffin, Paycom’s director of government and community affairs

The pre-employment screening process — criminal background checks, credit checks and so on — is crucial to many organizations’ ability to bring in reliable talent. But the laws that govern that process exist in an often surprising state of flux, with the year to come being no exception.

From the “ban the box” movement (to eliminate criminal history from consideration in job applications) to changing drug laws (including medical use, decriminalization or legalization of marijuana in an ever-growing number of states), the way we think about pre-employment screening continues to evolve.

In this episode of HR Break Room®, employment law expert Louis Lessig and Paycom director of government and community affairs AJ Griffin join host Caleb Masters to discuss:

  • key pre-employment screening trends to watch for as we head into a new year, including “ban the box,” drug protocols and prohibitions on inquiring about salary history
  • the importance of staying in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act
  • the role of technology in an efficient, forward-thinking screening process

Learn more about emerging compliance trends to watch headed into the new year, including pre-employment screenings, by attending our upcoming webinar, Workplace Compliance Trends 2021: Staying Ready for What’s Next.

Dec 3, 2020

Guests:

Karin Hurt and David Dye, authors of Courageous Cultures

Have you ever had a potentially good idea that you kept to yourself?

It’s a common experience, and in the world of work, it can be a problem. Organizations of all sizes and industries employ thoughtful, talented people who have ideas that could improve the customer experience, increase organizational efficiency and more. But for various reasons — from assuming they wouldn’t be taken seriously to simply not being asked in the first place — these employees do not make their voices heard.

What would it take to reverse this phenomenon? Karin Hurt and David Dye, authors of Courageous Cultures, have some ideas of their own — and fortunately, they’re more than willing to share. In this episode of HR Break Room®, Hurt and Dye join host Caleb Masters to discuss:

  • what might be holding back everyday innovation among your teams
  • communication strategies to eliminate FOSU (fear of speaking up) and encourage deeper dialogue
  • easy-to-use tools and techniques to facilitate organizational and customer-focused problem-solving
  • how HR technology can be leveraged to encourage better employee input

Learn more about how to foster a culture of innovation and engagement by reading our white paper, What Employees Want: Overlooked Insights in Employee Engagement.

Oct 15, 2020

Guest:

Steve Boese, HR Technology Conference program chair and HR Happy Hour podcast co-host

With the employee experience becoming more important than ever and the continued desire of workers to function autonomously through technology, it pays to make your processes as simple as possible. If your employees can’t — or, worse, won’t — use your HR tech because it’s not sufficiently user-friendly, you’ll never see the autonomy your employees need to thrive.

The same is true for managers. At some point, every manager wishes he or she could be in two (or more) places at once. Usually, one of those places is a desk, where paperwork — or at least its electronic equivalent — seems to accumulate at a steady, unrelenting rate. Giving your managers the ability to quickly knock out those tasks frees them up to help foster autonomy and your company’s culture with their teams.

What could your employee experience and bottom line gain by pursuing simplicity in your HR technology and autonomy in your workforce?

In this episode of HR Break Room®, host Caleb Masters is rejoined by Boese to discuss:

  • how creating an autonomous workforce benefits both the employee experience and the bottom line
  • the key drivers that are influencing the emphasis on the employee experience in today’s workplace
  • the role managers play in creating a culture of autonomy by driving the employee usage of HR technology
  • Boese’s impressions of Manager on-the-Go™, Paycom’s tool recently named a top 2020 HR product by Human Resource Executive magazine

Learn more about how to enhance your employee experience through your managers by seeing Manager on-the-Go in action. Head over to paycom.com/go and request a demo.

Oct 1, 2020

Guests:

Ken Blanchard, founder and chief spiritual officer of The Ken Blanchard Companies

Scott Blanchard, president of The Ken Blanchard Companies

As organizational leaders around the country continue to pursue new avenues for innovation, preparing for possible business disruptions remains a priority.

A company’s executive team sets the tone, making it essential for organizational leaders to ensure the traits of caring, positivity and innovation cascade down to managers in order to see the same drive and ability to quickly change business strategies reflected in the broader workforce.

How can business leaders prepare managers to be agile with the tools and training they need to ensure their teams are ready for unexpected business disruptions?

 

In this episode of HR Break Room®, host Caleb Masters is joined by Ken and Scott Blanchard to discuss:

  • the role organizational leaders play helping their workforce navigate through business disruptions.

 

  • how organizations can become agile and able to weather unforeseen increases or decreases in business using effective communication and honest conversations with employees.

 

  • what leaders can do to foster a culture of servant leadership through their managers.

 

  • how training technology can be used to prepare managers to effectively lead their teams through change.

 

Ensure your managers are prepared with the tools they need to lead change management initiatives when business disruptions occur. Learn more by reading our white paper, Making the Change: How to Lead a Digital Transformation to Success.

Sep 17, 2020

Guest:

Barbara Corcoran, founder of The Corcoran Group and investor on ABC’s Shark Tank

Rapid change is a major challenge in every business, but it also presents great opportunity for innovation. Times like these can lead to the best ideas to move your business forward if you’re smart enough to encourage and tap into your talented workforce. A competitor might be developing the next great business idea right now. 

Valuable employees today expect a seamless experience with workplace technology, and all too often, HR is caught in the middle between employees and their data. As renowned real estate investor Barbara Corcoran says, “It's ridiculous! So ridiculous.”

In this episode of HR Break Room®, Corcoran returns to discuss:

  • how to become an innovative business, overcome disruption and build an organization of greatness
  • why it is important to understand HR’s changing function in today’s digital reality
  • the role of your employee experience and how it can empower or hold back your HR department
  • how to get out of the data overload created by manual processes by using HR technology

To get out of the data overload, driving organizational change should be at the front of your mind. Learn more on how to lead a successful transformation with our free change management toolkit.

Sep 1, 2020

Guests:

Robin Boudreau, the New England Patriots (the Kraft Group and Affiliates) senior vice president of human resources

Miranda Blaiklock, the New England Patriots (the Kraft Group and Affiliates) director of benefits, compensation and HRIS

New legislation can create complex rules, weighty administrative responsibilities and allows zero margin for error: When it comes to complying with employment legislation, the burden for U.S. businesses — both large and small — is substantial.

Take the recent coronavirus relief legislation, for example. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act allows employers to elect to delay payment of their federal payroll taxes, and delay the deposit and payment of their Social Security taxes, effective immediately, through Dec. 31, 2020. Another, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), gives American businesses with fewer than 500 employees funds to provide COVID-19-impacted staff with paid leave, among other provisions. ​Both are now federal law and earlier this year, organizations had to adjust quickly  to avoid costly fines.

What role can an informed HCM partner play in navigating these unexpected challenges?  

In the second half of this two-part episode of HR Break Room®, host Caleb Masters is rejoined by Boudreau and Blaiklock to discuss:

  • why it’s important to select a partner who can quickly help your organization develop compliance tools for emerging legislation like FFCRA and the CARES Act through safe and secure record keeping
  • the value of working with a partner who takes client feedback into consideration when developing tools and best practices
  • how to leverage the data provided by technology to get buy-in for employee usage from your C-suite

Embrace the potential of game-changing HR tech by checking out our webpage, paycom.com/patriots.

Aug 18, 2020

Many paths exist to help you avoid profit drain in today’s digital reality, with employee usage of HR technology serving as your compass. Take it from the New England Patriots’ senior vice president of human resources, Robin Boudreau, and New England Patriots director of benefits, compensation and HRIS, Miranda Blaiklock, who believe executing an employee usage strategy has enabled their organization to realize an even stronger return on investment in their technology. Their team’s investment in employee usage has been maximized through their employees’ self-managing of their data, thereby allowing the HR team more time to drive business objectives forward.

With today’s workforce expecting business technology on the job, it may be up to you to point the C-suite in the right direction. Are you equipped with the data you need to make your case?

In part one of this two-part episode of HR Break Room®, host Caleb Masters is joined by Boudreau and Blaiklock to discuss:

  • how the Kraft Group maximized its workforce of more than 5,000 employees by driving usage of their HR technology to nearly 100%
  • why employee usage of HR technology is good for business and helps drive actionable insights
  • the value of a single-database system and how it enhances the end-employee user experience

Embrace the potential of game-changing HR tech by checking out our webpage, paycom.com/patriots.

Aug 6, 2020

Guests:

Rob Magness, Paycom’s regional vice president of sales

A key to organizational effectiveness is the ability to adapt. One major element is an efficient process that allows you to inform and train all employees on organizational changes.

Unfortunately, many companies don’t have a training platform that allows for easy customization and consistent instruction. Instead, businesses are trying to tackle the job with makeshift tools like email and video conferencing, which come with potential issues and risks.

How can your business utilize a learning management system to get your workforce up to speed, and get ahead with easy, consistent training that engages your employees through ongoing development?

In this episode of HR Break Room®, host Caleb Masters is joined by Rob Magness, Paycom’s regional vice president of sales, to discuss:

  • the importance of training and its role in the success of your employees and organizational growth
  • why it’s crucial to provide employees with learning technology that supports your business’s performance strategy in today’s digital reality
  • how to develop and maintain a culture of engagement through on-demand training

 

Driving organizational change can be challenging, but with the right tools and mindset, you can succeed! Learn how to lead a successful transformation with our free change management toolkit.

Jul 23, 2020

Guests:

Sam Norman, Paycom’s executive vice president of sales

Jennifer Kraszewski, Paycom’s vice president of human resources

During unforeseen disruptions, your company may experience a dramatic increase or decrease in business. Experiencing the latter doesn’t have to mean abandoning all projects — instead, it represents a unique opportunity to recalibrate, optimize and re-emerge stronger than before. This is a chance to re-engineer processes and implement technologies that allow you to not only recover, but be more lean, agile and profitable on the other side of crisis.

How can your business use HR technology to create an infrastructure to allow you to scale your company back to success?

In this episode of HR Break Room®, host Caleb Masters is joined by Norman and Kraszewski to discuss:

  • finding opportunities and value in every environment
  • actionable insights to strategically and practically build a forward-thinking business strategy
  • the importance of having easily adoptable and accessible technology during business transitions

While you’re thinking ahead, driving organizational change should be front of mind. Learn more on how to lead a successful transformation with our free change management toolkit.

May 5, 2020

Guest:

Henry Cloud, leadership expert, psychologist and bestselling author of The Power of the Other

Jessica Melo, Paycom executive vice president of sales training

Rapid change is a major challenge in every business, but it also creates the opportunity for growth, innovation and emerging leaders to step up. In today’s quickly shifting environment, workplace leadership is more important than ever. To effectively institute changes, organizations should identify talented leaders who understand the psychological journey of front-line workers and are up for the challenge to embrace the new.

With organizations around the country rapidly implementing change management initiatives, why is now the right time to identify and develop emerging leaders in your workplace?

In this episode of HR Break Room®, host Caleb Masters is joined by Cloud and Melo to discuss:

  • the core leadership traits that define every great leader in 2020
  • how an organization's culture is defined by the style and personality of its leaders
  • why now is an essential time to identify and develop leaders
  • how to build a leadership program using technology
  • ways to get buy-in from executive leaders for leadership development programs in the current environment

Learn more about how to leverage Paycom to identify and train prospective leaders by reading our white paper, How a Learning Management System Benefits Your Workforce and Bottom Line.

Apr 9, 2020

Guests:

AJ Griffin, Paycom’s director of government and community affairs

Brian McManus, partner at Latham & Watkins LLP

With major legislation already passed, organizations must act now to ensure continued operation and compliance. On March 27, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law. Among other provisions, employers may now elect to delay payment of their federal payroll taxes, and delay the deposit and payment of their Social Security taxes.

A week earlier, on March 18, Congress approved the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Effective April 1, the FFCRA gives American businesses with fewer than 500 employees funds to provide COVID-19-impacted employees with paid leave, among other provisions. ​

What can your organization do today to ensure compliance?

In this episode of HR Break Room®, host Caleb Masters talks with AJ Griffin and Brian McManus to discuss:

  • how the new legislation may impact your business
  • which businesses are covered employers and which employees may qualify for additional paid sick leave
  • qualifications pertaining to Social Security tax credits and deferrals
  • how technology can help keep your organization compliant and give you the tools you need to successfully navigate these changes

Learn more about how to navigate the changes presented by the FFCRA and CARES Act by visiting paycom.com/covid-19.

Mar 3, 2020

Guest:

Steve Boese, HR Technology Conference program chair and HR Happy Hour podcast co-host

According to the World Economic Forum, 54% of employees expect to need upskilling or reskilling by 2022. One of the primary challenges facing organizations as they embrace the digital transformation is the gap between the limited supply of people with the right technology skills and the growing demand for talent to fill new and changing roles. To find a solution, organizations have to think differently about talent and reskilling their workforces – and embrace more flexible approaches to finding and developing the talent they need in 2020 and beyond.

With the McKinsey Global Institute predicting about 14% of the workforce will have to change careers by 2030, are your organization’s learning, development and upskilling initiatives ready for the growing demand?

In this episode of HR Break Room®, Boese rejoins host Caleb Masters to discuss: 

  • how today’s incredibly tight labor market drives employers to provide employees with the tools, knowledge and capabilities they need to succeed
  • how reskilling is used to anticipate organizational changes and equip employees with the skills they need to match those changes over time
  • why a major draw for potential employees is understanding how their personal values align with those of an organization
  • the importance of giving employees learning technology that is easily accessible and familiar

 

Learn more about the future of reskilling by registering for our SHRM-sponsored webinar with Steve Boese, The Future of Reskilling: Preparing Talent and the Organization for the Digital Era.

Feb 20, 2020

Guests:

Joe Callender, Ernst & Young executive director of quantitative economics and statistics

Ken Nagle, Ernst & Young senior manager

Jennifer Kraszewski, Paycom vice president of human resources

In a recently updated Ernst & Young report, researchers found that performing HR tasks manually – or not allowing employees access to enter their own information – now costs an average of $4.51 for every point of data entry, up from $4.39 since we spoke with them in 2018.

With the cost of manual HR tasks rising, what is keeping organizations from making the move to self-service technology? And how can incorporating HR technology streamline processes to achieve efficiencies?

In this episode of HR Break Room®, host Caleb Masters talks with Jennifer Kraszewski, Paycom’s vice president of HR, followed by Ernst & Young’s Joe Callender and Ken Nagle to discuss: 

  • how Ernst & Young’s study concluded a single data entry costs $4.51
  • why many organizations may be hesitant to adopt self-service HR technology
  • how manual HR tasks slow productivity and cost organizations
  • how Paycom’s Direct Data Exchange™ uses the numbers in the study to give HR professionals the tools they need to present themselves as strategic business partners

 

To learn more about how HR technology frees HR from manual processes, read our white paper, Every Second Counts and Costs … Why Everyone Should Use HR Tech.

Feb 6, 2020

Work doesn’t stop coming in when you’re not at your desk. That’s why we created Manager on-the-Go. This revolutionary enhancement to the Paycom mobile app helps managers make the most of their day by empowering them to complete essential tasks involving their employees – anytime, anywhere. 

In this HR Break Room® Take 5, a manager and an HR professional talk about how their use of Manager on-the-Go impacts their workday.

Host Caleb Masters is also joined by HR Bartender’s Sharlyn Lauby, to discuss Manager on-the-Go’s functionality, including:

  • editing and approving timecards
  • approving time-off requests
  • approving expenses
  • and more

Schedule a demo to learn even more about Paycom’s new Manager on-the-Go.

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